Rdio caves to the competition, makes Web streaming free for all users

Hardly two days have passed since Spotify began allowing unlimited access to its free streaming service, but another major competitor has already stepped up to the plate with a major transition of its own. Rdio, one of the last bastions for premium desktop music services without ad-supported streaming, has finally gone free. Rdio announced on its blog that it has “added in-stream messaging to Rdio on the web,” short ads for free users who don’t want to subscribe. Rdio will still maintain its $9.99 per month subscription service, dubbed Rdio Unlimited, for users who want to avoid the ads. Now that all the major streaming services have settled into a comfortable equilibrium, the impending launch of the subcription-only Beats Music is going to be even more interesting.